Colorado’s Supreme Court has used its power to help itself – again. This time, it’s to wipe out an embarrassing 97% dismissal rate of complaints against judges.

By rewriting the rules for Colorado’s Commission on Judicial Discipline, the Supreme Court stops the incredulous 97% dismissal rate from continuing. The rate hit 97% in 1993 and has been 97% ever since – 24 years. But the Supreme Court has ensured the rate won’t continue.

How? By redefining “complaint.”

Under the new rules, a complaint will no longer be a complaint when a person files a complaint with the commission. A complaint will only be a “complaint” when the commission finds there are grounds to proceed. Before that point, what has been a complaint will now be called a “request for investigation.”

Requests for investigation won’t be dismissed. Those files will merely be closed if the commission finds there aren’t grounds to proceed. The 97% dismissal rate disappears into those closed files. Clever, huh?

So instead of spending valuable time hearing more cases that should be heard at the Supreme Court, or encouraging vigorous enforcement of the Code of Judicial Conduct, our justices spent time figuring out a crafty plan to cover their tracks.

Does this rule change make you feel confident in the Supreme Court justices? Does it make you think they’re being unfair? Does it seem like they’re using their power to help themselves?